lionheart
by gruumpy-cat
Summary: I was never a craven. And I was always wilful. - Astoria Greengrass


A cacophony of sounds surrounds me. The pitiful screams of the wounded, the ghastly sobs of the dying, gurgling, choking, fading. The pounding of feet on grass, running away from danger, running to meet it and the worst sounds, four deadly paws hitting the ground nearby, the thundering of giants somewhere close. The pattering of tiny feet scrambling to fight against a foe so much bigger and more powerful.

My eyes are closed, my head pounding and bleeding, dripping scarlet blood down my previously white shirt from where a stray curse hit me. I can't concentrate on anything except keeping a tight hold on my wand and hoping to survive. Hoping to stay unnoticed until I can open my eyes again.

And then I hear a scream that makes me grow cold as ice.

I open my eyes and, even though I am barely able to focus, I turn towards the sound. I choke on a sob and start running. Jumping over dead bodies and dying classmates, I run because I can't lose my last friend.

Rona, bloody and bruised, her dark hair charred, is trying to fight Bellatrix Lestrange with three other people who I don't recognise. The Death Eater is deranged, her wand so fast that I barely have time to register the deadly green that hits Rona and time slows. My heart is thumping in my ears and I don't hear anything else. The anguished scream I want to let out dies in my throat as Rona's blue eyes find my own.

She falls and my heart stops. I have lost the last of my friends.

I'm no longer in slow motion, adrenaline is coursing through me, anger, deadly anger is filling my whole body, setting me on fire. I am burning, a flame in the dark of battle.

I am wildfire blazing everything in front of me, uncaring of the fallen, stepping over some, walking over others until I reach her.

I snarl at the Dark Lord's finest and she laughs.

"Aww, did you come out to play?" Bellatrix asks, her tone mocking as she twirls her wand and laughs at me, a chilling cackling of a madwoman.

The rage I feel is overwhelming. I point my wand at her. "CONFRINGO!" I yell and I catch her by surprise, but she manages to put up a shield before the curse hits her. I run towards a pile of rubble, shattered remnants of my own dormitory, and take cover before a flash of green. We duel.

Everything I learned, every duelling strategy I was taught, it all rushes through me but it's not enough. She slashes with her wand, shooting jets of red and green and blue and I can only dodge. I am not quick enough and her curses hit me.

Soon I am bleeding from everywhere, my legs and thighs hit most badly but I feel no pain. There is only rage and adrenaline that keeps me going.

In a moment of madness, I rush at her, screaming obscenities and curses. Nothing seems to work and she laughs again.

That laugh is what brings me over the edge and I stuff my wand away, tackling her while she's laughing. Her face is full of surprise when I punch her but she doesn't have the chance to do anything about it because I am punching her again and again and again until she's bleeding, and I feel like I am falling apart but then the Dark Lord's voice booms all over the grounds and the castle, silencing the raging battle. I stop my assault, distracted by his words.

Bellatrix throws me off and disappears into the crowd of Death Eaters retreating into the Forbidden Forest.

I am laying in a pool of blood and gore, encircled with dead bodies. The sickeningly dry, metallic smell of blood hits me hard and I gag, throwing up on the muddy grass. With the battle temporarily over, all the pain hits me at once and I lay still between the dead.

The stillness is outlandish after the pandemonium. Soon, sobs and cries, of sorrow and joy in equal measures, reach me. I envy the people who find their friends and family alive. My heart hurts from the pain of seeing Rona and Jack and Colin all die. All dead. Tears streak down my face while I remember how I talked them into staying. It hurts too much so I close my eyes and focus on the physical pain I feel. I deserve it.

I don't know for how long I stay there but somehow I manage to get up, and when I do I am swaying so much that I fall to my knees. For the first time since the battle started I realise how much blood I have lost. All of my clothes are soaked in it and I do not know how I am still alive.

I can't walk, so I slowly drag myself towards Rona's body. My arms and legs are weak, burning as I make my way. It feels as if a thousand flaming snakes are crawling all over my body, biting and spreading venom that burns, coiling around my limbs, slowing me down, every movement I make multiplying the pain tenfold.

But I finally reach her. Her eyes, once full of mischief and wonder, are blank so I close them. I grip her hand, fire meeting ice, and I scream.

And Alexander Greengrass, the Lord of Shadows, the man who has been dealing with Death Eaters and Order of the Phoenix alike, is running towards me, uncaring of his lieutenants who shout after him.

"ASTORIA!" my father yells, his voice full of terror. He almost slips on a puddle of blood before he reaches me. His usually sleek robes are torn in places, his hair is matted with sweat and there is a trickle of blood on the side of his head but he seems unhurt. Father drops to his knees and he grabs hold of me, pressing me against his chest, holding me tight.

I am stunned but he is here. He came for me. I know he must have come as soon as Daphne was evacuated and there was no sign of me. He is here.

"Dad… Everyone is dead," I choke out before collapsing in his arms, sobbing uncontrollably, unashamedly. He holds me. He doesn't say anything because he knows there is nothing to say to comfort me. I do not remember the last time my father held me but his scent engulfs me, much like his body does and he is my home.

But there can be no comfort. I will forever be guilty of leading my friends to their deaths.

I stop crying and father lets go of me. His lieutenants are standing guard all around us, making sure their crime lord cannot be hurt. Father's eyes drop towards Rona's body and he sighs, clutching my hand.

"Will you stay?" I ask him, my eyes locked with his own. He would be risking so much but I have to ask. "I have to fight," I tell him and he nods. He isn't surprised and he knows not to question me. I was never a craven. And I was always wilful.

"I will stay," he says and helps me up, holding me so I can stay upright.

"We will fight," I say.

"We will." Father nods and cocks his head towards his people. They nod as well. I notice they cast Disillusionment Charms on themselves so they couldn't be recognised.

"We will win. And then we'll go home."

My father hugs me one more time and I know he is thinking about what must be done in order for us to get home alive but he doesn't try to dissuade me. It would be futile.

"And then I'll take you home."


End file.
